Willingness-to-pay to access Ingenol Mebutate Gel for Actinic Keratosis Treatment in the U.S. Setting

Background: Currently available topical treatments for actinic keratosis (AK) adversely affect patients’ quality of life because of long treatment durations and long-lasting local skin reactions (LSRs), which may result in poor treatment adherence and patient outcomes. Ingenol mebutate gel, a recently introduced treatment for AK, is administered for 2 or 3 days, and LSR’s are predicable in onset and duration. Objectives: The objective of the study was to estimate the value of ingenol mebutate gel’s shorter treatment duration and tolerability profile to potential patients, versus existing topical treatments (imiquimod 3.75%, imiquimod 5% and diclofenac 3%) in the United States. Methods: The open-ended Contingent Valuation (CV) approach was used to estimate incremental willingness-to-pay (WTP) for ingenol mebutate gel rather than treatment with imiquimod 5%, imiquimod 3.75% and diclofenac 3%. Profiles for each therapy differed in regards to treatment duration, time-to-LSR resolution, and price. Subjects were asked to state their maximum out-of-pocket WTP to receive ingenol mebutate gel instead of each of the three alternatives. Results: 103 subjects provided usable answers. Between 48% and 63% of subjects were willing to pay extra to gain access to treatment with the ingenol mebutate gel profile instead of the comparators, and the mean incremental WTP ranged from $475 to $518. Subjects with experience of topical treatment stated higher WTP for accessing ingenol mebutate gel. Subjects whose most bothersome AK area was the full scalp or forehead also claimed higher WTP for ingenol mebutate gel. Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with AK indicated an unmet need for fast-acting topical treatment with shorter LSR resolution time.